1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention is related to a skate of the in-line type comprising a boot whose sole is adapted to be associated to the upper plate of a chassis on which the skating wheels are arranged.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
In this type of sport, it soon proved necessary to have a braking device, both in order to fulfill the safety criteria, as well as to enable some artistic or acrobatic figure skating to be executed.
It is with these in mind that a fixed friction element affixed to a rear part of the chassis and capable of coming into contact with the ground by friction is often provided, in order to obtain an efficient braking by a lifting action of the front wheels that is implemented by the skater.
Such a principle naturally leads to wear and tear and the frequent replacement of said friction elements, which results in assembly and disassembly operations that are long and pain-staking, even more so due to the fact that in general, the friction element is affixed on the axle of the rear wheel, and this means that one has to work on the latter element in order to assemble or disassemble the friction element.
In addition, the presence of the latter is essential since the axle of the wheel is designed to take it into consideration. However, it appears that some skaters prefer to retract the friction element in some cases. This cannot be done according to the known embodiments or at any rate, not easily.
Another disadvantage lies in the fact that these braking devices are, in any given model, installed on the skate as soon as they leave the assembly line, resulting in having to handle more substantial volumes of skates, and leading to problems linked to volume requirements both during the storage and packaging of the skates.
In addition, depending on the level of competence and the style of the skater, it is sometimes desirable to be able to vary the maintenance of the friction element on the ground.
However, currently known skates do not allow for this possibility, which is also useful in order to compensate for the wear and tear of the friction material.